OSAMA is Missing

DVD Release of the Week: What draws many people to films from Hong Kong (and to a lesser extent Korea and Japan) are the wild action sequences. So to many people in the U.S., Canada, and Europe, Asian films as a whole = action. As a result, quieter films are shuffled off to the general arthouse ghetto, where 10 or 12 quiet Asian films (including those from China, Taiwan, and Iran) have lived each year in cinemas across the so-called "Western" world.

Where, then, does a quiet film from Afghanistan fit? An improbable winner of the most recent Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film, OSAMA sneaked out in limited release in the U.S. earlier this year. Last year it flitted from Cannes to other film festivals (including Denver and AFI Fest in Los Angeles, where I saw it). Though highly regarded by many reviewers, OSAMA is not the easiest film to recommend.

The Taliban forbids women to work. Desperate and starving, a family of three women (mother, grandmother, and daughter) decides that the youngest must pass as a boy and get a job. The girl (Marina Golbahari) is just 12 years old and is placed into an impossible situation. She cannot refuse to help her mother and grandmother -- they are facing death. But if her subterfuge is discovered, she faces a death sentence herself. Her situation becomes even more desperate when she is taken against her will to a school of religious training for boys.

Part of the heartbreak is that the young girl (called "Osama" in her fake identity as a boy) is, in fact, a young girl and does not act like a miniature adult, as Hollywood might demand. She is perpetually frightened; the argument can easily be made that she is a product of the Taliban-ruled environment in which she lives. She is completely non-assertive and entirely fragile.

That's the other reason why it's not easy to watch or recommend OSAMA. The eyes of the young title character look like those of a squirrel paralyzed on the highway just before a semi-truck flattens it. You keep waiting and hoping that somehow O. Henry will write her out of the predicament she faces. And then you remember that O. Henry is dead.

Writer and director Siddiq Barmak frames the story with poignant, unsentimantal touches that display a sense of artistic vision. His film need no longer fly under the radar; it is available to a wider audience starting April 27 with the release of MGM's Region 1 DVD. Recommended as a rental for discerning viewers.

Hong Kong DVD Release News: Asian DVD Guide reports that the Edko edition of ONG BAK does not have English subtitles. Thousands, including myself, wept openly at the news.

Box Office News: Tony Scott's action flick MAN ON FIRE (with Denzel Washington) narrowly beat out the comedy 13 GOING ON 30 (with Jennifer Garner) for the top spot in the U.S.

KILL BILL dropped to #3 with an decline of 58%. Way down at #27, SHAOLIN SOCCER grossed another $31,400 as it expanded its theater count by four (to a total of 10 theaters), with modest total returns of $169,000.

Four Hollywood flicks are set to compete this coming Friday: ENVY (horrible advance word of mouth on this Ben Stiller/Jack Black comedy), GODSEND (problems with a clone of a dead kid, with Greg Kinnear and Robert DeNiro), LAWS OF ATTRACTION (romantic comedy starring Pierce Brosnan and Julianne Moore) and MEAN GIRLS (comedy with a script by Saturday Night Live's Tina Fey). Right now, the last is the only one that sounds worth the risk of a ticket.

Film Festival Spotlight: Los Angeles fans can plan for the opening of VC FilmFest 2004, The Visual Communications Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film & Video Festival. The fest opens Thursday, April 29 with the screening of a restored print of Wayne Wang's CHAN IS MISSING (an excellent nugget of a film) and closes on Thursday, May 6 with Takeshi Kitano's ZATOICHI, with many more features, shorts, and seminars.

Screenings: Laid my father to rest this weekend, so not much in a mood to watch (or concentrate on) movies. Next week will be better.

No Pictures Today

U.S. Box Office News: KILL BILL VOL. 2 coasted to an easy victory in the box office race, with a fine $8,604 per-screen average (totaling $25 million), beating out the "other" action/revenge flick THE PUNISHER.

Coming in at #26, SHAOLIN SOCCER maintained a decent $3,283 per-screen average (still at just six theatres) and has totaled $127,300 since its release.

One film that slipped under my personal radar was Jimmy Lee's CLOSE CALL. It 's about a 16-year-old girl's confrontation with the dark side of life, and sounds worth seeking out. I'm not sure if it's playing outside of Los Angeles right now.

Major releases coming this Friday include action flick MAN ON FIRE, starring Denzel Washington and directed by Tony Scott, and 13 GOING ON 30, a creepy-sounding comedy starring Jennifer Garner. The latter film bears a thematic resemblance to the Hong Kong film THE FRUIT IS SWELLING, but somehow I doubt the Hollywood production will feature any naked bodies on display.

Los Angeles residents can check out TOKYO GODFATHERS, playing tonight and tomorrow at the New Beverly Cinema (on a double bill with the excellent TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE).

DVD Release News: Yasujiro Ozo's black and white A STORY OF FLOATING WEEDS (1934) and his color version FLOATING WEEDS (1959) appear tomorrow on DVD from Criterion. Here's a review from DVD Journal.

Also due out is TUBE, a Korean suspense thriller set on a train. I don't believe the fim did much when it was released in Korea last last year, but I still want to check it out on DVD. List price from Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment is $24.96, but a rental sounds like a good bet.

Spotlight Link: I've been working forever (it seems) on revising my Links page, but in the meantime I wanted to highlight ArtsMagicDVD, a British label that is expanding to the U.S. with some titles that promise to be very exciting. Small DVD labels tend to be run by twisted people with extreme devotion to the films -- much like this site. Check it out.

Screenings: Loved KILL BILL VOL. 2. Didn't want it to end. Not interested in discussion. Will brook no disagreement.

Came home and watched DJANGO!, a perfect (authentic) counterpoint to Quentin Tarantion's version of a Spaghetti Western. Franco Nero is my man. Loved him dragging around that coffin.

The next day I screened an American comedy/drama that intermittently irritated me. After a break I allowed Jess Franco's EUGENIE to corrupt me. The 1969 production is a truly weird adaptation of a tale by the Marquis de Sade, but also oddly fascinating -- and not just for the lovely naked bodies on occasional display. Lucio Fulci's demented and brilliant ZOMBIE capped the night.

And then I tried to sleep.

Cult Quickies

DJANGO! (1966)
A man drags a coffin across a nearly-deserted landscape, arriving just in time to save a woman from a crowd of nasty men. Sergio Corbucci helped define the Spaghetti Western with a fantastic story that defies logic yet zips by with audacious energy. Available only as part of their "Spaghetti Western" boxed set, Blue Underground's DVD is fine, though the source print was damaged; includes a "making of" feature. A deluxe two-disk edition, available separately from the box, is due out April 27. (04/19/04)

EUGENIE: THE STORY OF HER JOURNEY INTO PERVERSION (1970)
The second adaptation by director Jess Franco of a story by the Marquis de Sade is suitably twisted and drenched in sexual torpor. The voluptuous nudity of Marie Liljedahl and Maria Rohm, as well as the distracted appearance of Christopher Lee, is sure to burn up a few brain cells. Blue Underground's DVD appears sharp and includes a "making of" with nearly all the principals. (04/19/04)

FOUR OF THE APOCALYPSE (1975)
A rare foray by Lucio Fulci into the Western genre produced at least two horrific scenes, but also drop-dead beauty in the staging and a welcome touch of poetry. With Fabio Testi, Lynne Frederick, and Tomas Milian. Anchor Bay's DVD looks quite good, and includes a "making of" feature with Testi and Milian. (04/19/04)

ZOMBIE (1979)
An amazing expansion of what a zombie movie can be. Lucio Fulci was a mad genius, and several brilliant sequences are truly without equal. Includes footage that is still sickening and shocking. Anchor Bay's DVD was struck from horrid-looking source material; includes an audio commentary by actor Ian McCulloch and a horror expert. Blue Underground promises a new edition in the future. (04/19/04)

Hollywood Cinema Screenings - 2004

THE BIG BOUNCE
Awful. Still, on a cool late afternoon in January, it was completely refreshing to watch Hawaiian landscapes and the unfairly lean Sara Foster flit by in a minimum of clothing, PG-13 style. With Owen Wilson, Morgan Freeman; directed by the otherwise interesting George Armitrage. (Screened 01/31)

BROKEN LIZARD'S CLUB DREAD
The comedy troupe Broken Lizard (SUPER TROOPER) stumbles badly with their sophomore outing. Their attempts to mix comedy with horror produce few laughs and even fewer scares. Jordan Ladd's naked bouncing breasts are the only redeeming feature(s). (Screened 03/04)

DAWN OF THE DEAD
The first ten minutes of this remake are dementedly chilling. The remainder plays out like a half-remembered cable television pilot wth great gore effects -- it's all shallow cliche and mistaken "improvements" to the original, minus George A. Romero's knowing satiric edge. (Screened 03/19)

ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND
Even though scripter Charlie Kaufman is too clever by half, he still crafts a pleasant love story that's twice as fascinating as most mainstream fare. With a marvelous Kate Winslet, an overreaching Jim Carrey, and inventive direction by Michele Gondry. (Screened 03/19)

EUROTRIP
Good-humored, low-brow antics as a group of young people encounter a cut-rate version of Europe. Utterly lacking significance, and funnier for it. (Screened 02/20)

HELLBOY
In retrospect, an elusively satisfying entertainment. As it plays, though, Ron Perlman lends dynamic charge to Guillermo del Toro's vision of the comic book misfit in love with sufficient firepower for the masses and clever touches for the knowing elite. (Screened 04/09)

KILL BILL VOL. 2
Maybe it's not exactly warm and fuzzy, but Quentin Tarantino generates oodles of positive energy from a film that should never end. It felt like being catapaulted into an alternative universe created from every exploitation movie ever made -- and it was wonderful. With Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Michael Madsen, and a reborn Darryl Hannah. (Screened 04/16)

SPARTAN
For a man known for his dialogue, David Mamet wrote precious few lines worth repeating in this suspense-less thriller. The central premise is unbelievable, and the action is unremarkable. With Val Kilmer and a wasted William H. Macy. (Screened 03/18)

TAKING LIVES
Director D. J. Caruso demonstrates a light touch in several sequences, and Angelina Jolie is quite fetching throughout. Thanks to a surfeit of ridiculous ideas, though, the film fades quickly from memory even as the final twist is unfurled. (Screened 03/19)

TOUCHING THE VOID
Mesmerizing and haunting, this docu-drama recreates an ill-fated climb in the Peruvian Alps as the climbers recount without shame their all-too-human shortcomings. A testament to friendship and fear. (Screened 02/23)

WALKING TALL
Crunchy. Plenty of fighting, a stripper heroine in mortal danger while wearing a red brassiere and blue jeans, and a mixed race family at the core. What's not to love? The Rock will never play Hamlet (convincingly) but fills the hero role just fine. (Screened 04/09)

Misc. Day

Box Office News: Three major releases were rolled out over Easter weekend, and none scored too well. The top-grossing new release actually came out last Wednesday (JOHNSON FAMILY VACATION). Otherwise, THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST ruled the box office again, with HELLBOY finishing second.

SHAOLIN SOCCER performed well, dropping just 23% from its opening.

DVD Release News: The primary title of interest this week is Satoshi Kon's TOKYO GODFATHERS, the latest work by the director of PERFECT BLUE and MILLENIUM ACTRESS. I'm sorry to have missed this one during its brief theatrical life, but definitely plan to check it out on disk. To know what to expect, read this review at DVD Journal.

The other title of interest is Quentin Tarantino's KILL BILL VOL. I. The disk is bare bones, and is mainly worth a rental if you want to prepare for VOL. 2, due for release on Friday.

Screenings: On the big screen, I caught up with HELLBOY, a very dark, amusing comic book adaptation. Very polished and satisfying.

The remake WALKING TALL has been ripped by critics and fans alike, yet I liked the emphasis on action and the crisply paced fight scenes. Not much substance, but it rode like a brisk exploitation flick, very much like certain types of Hong Kong movies.

Via festival screener tapes, I saw three lackluster American films plus the Thai BEAUTIFUL BOXER (based on a true story about a transvestite kickboxer). I found the latter to be engaging throughout its first half, but the second hour fell flat for me. Worth a rental or a festival viewing if the subject matter appeals to you.

Death comes home

Death occurs so frequently on screen in so many Hong Kong movies that I feared I was becoming desensitized to movie violence. Combine that with the "real life" deaths of Leslie Cheung (evidently by his own volition, as dictated by a melancholy so severe it's difficult to comprehend), Anita Mui (cut down too young by disease), and other notables, and a general numbing can occur.

Then you get a call like I got last night, telling me that my own father had passed away, and things snap into perspective. All the cinematic deaths pale into insignificance, and even the deaths of dramatic artists who have touched my life through their art...well, let's face it, it's not the same.

I remember watching KNOCKABOUT one afternoon, and my father watched it for a little while -- it was the final fight sequence, the one that lasts about 20 minutes -- and he got up. "All they're doing is fighting! I used to do that, and it's not that interesting to watch."

OK, my father was never a martial artist, but decades ago he did fight -- in bars and on the streets. Though he left that life behind, he knew what he liked and what he didn't. So even though our taste in movies was not the same, there was some overlap, and he watched dozens of movies with me over the past couple of years, even when his eyesight was too poor to read the subtitles. (His favorite refrain when I was watching a foreign-language movie: "I can't understand what they're saying!") Perhaps it's from him that I picked up my critical disdain for certain types of films.

He was a good person and a good movie-watching companion. That's all I can ask from anybody.

Korea Kicks Hong Kong's Grass

Box Office News: In limited release, SHAOLIN SOCCER performed nicely but not spectacularly. Its per-screen average of $6,257 at six theaters was actually less than SPRING SUMMER FALL WINTER SPRING ($7,093, also at six theaters). Both films were outperformed by the French BON VOYAGE ($7,608 per screen at seven theaters) and the Danish DOGVILLE ($7,813 average at 14 locations).

Meanwhile, completely unreported is the lovely success of OSAMA from Afghanistan (and if Iran can be considered Asian, why not Afghanistan?). In nine weeks of release, it has grossed nearly a million dollars. On the other hand, the truly wonderful JAMES' JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM (from Israel) has grossed less than $39,000 in five weeks of release. All of these figures, by the way, are courtesy of Box Office Mojo.

What does all this mean? That the arthouse crowd is loyal, supportive...and limited. And that risking a wide release of any type is just that -- a risk. A risk which rises exponentially with an unknown quantity, such as a non-English language picture.

DVD News: No releases of interest this week, but get your pre-orders in for TOKYO GODFATHERS, which is due out next week.

Screenings/Upcoming Reviews: Still trying to get my head around a Japanese film called PEEP "TV" SHOW so I can write up a review this week. It was shot on video and expresses a distinct personal vision that appeals more to the head than the heart.

Also saw the aforementioned SPRING SUMMER FALL WINTER SPRING and can recommend it as another visual treat that packs a powerful punch from director Kim Ki-Duk.

Beyond that, I screened two above average Spanish-language films and a couple of disappointing English-language flicks. So it goes.